It's Nothing More than Awkward
by taylor.renee1376
Summary: They are best friends, that's it. Nothing is awkward between them. So why is he jealous when she starts dating someone else. He does everything to make him notice her. He refuses to settle for friends with benefits.
1. Prologue

"We should not be doing this," I attempted to sound stern. It came out as more of a moan.

"I know," he whispered as he pushed me back against the wall. His lips fell to mine once again.

This was not a slow kiss. It wasn't soft butterfly kisses that happen in movies. No, this was raw; the kind of kiss that made your toes curl and sent shivers flying down your spine. It's hard to explain, but I imagine this is what it would feel like if someone were to play the bongos on my heart.

I knew what I was doing was wrong, that I shouldn't be doing this. Unfortunately, acting upon what I knew was a lot harder than thinking it. As his teeth tugged at my lower lip, I finally came to my senses.

"Stop." I meant it to sound demanding but it came out as a whimper.

He left his forehead pressed against mine as he reluctantly pulled his lips away.

"I don't want to." His face was pleading, kind, and maybe just the tiniest bit desperate.

His breath washed over my face as he leaned in again. The scent of cinnamon was familiar, and the twinge of scotch in the air made him even slightly more alluring. But I had made up my mind, and this needed to stop. Reluctantly, I twisted my head to the side allowing his lips to brush only my right cheek. Rejection flashed in his sparkling eyes and it nearly made me cave.

I became thoroughly intrigued by the pattern of the brick on the wall. Anything was better than looking at his eyes. Those green eyes would make me crumble. And if I crumbled, I would hurt not only myself, but everyone. Dark red, dark red, brown. Dark red, dark red, brown.

"You want it. I can feel it. If you didn't, you wouldn't tremble every time my breath hit your neck. Your breathing wouldn't sound like this. Don't act like I don't know what you want. What you crave. What you need."

Dark red, dark red, brown. Dark red, dark red, brown.

"Please. Just stop." At this point, I wasn't above begging. "If you knew what I wanted you'd just let it go."

"Why can't you ever just do what you want Bella? You over think everything. You make yourself believe that you're protecting yourself and everyone else, but you end up hurting people. People that care about you. Fuck, you're killing me right now." His voice was pleading and I didn't dare look at his eyes.

"Really Edward, being rejected by one girl is killing you? When did you become so self centered?" When he didn't respond, I continued. "Unlike you, I do think about more than just myself. This is selfish. It's wrong. We can't keep doing this."

"And why can't we? Why is it so selfish?" His words sank into me like a needle. Now I was livid. I was through with avoiding him. The pattern on the wall no longer held my gaze. Now, I was fixated on him.

"You know why. And what about that girl you were with tonight? Or last night? Or what about Tanya? I suppose you're magically over her now." I quickly replied in a harsh tone.

"That girl tonight was a distraction at best. And it was never Tanya I struggled to get over. I was struggling to get over you Bella. You couldn't look in front of your face and see what was there. It kills me to see you with other guys. Those girls were to forget you, not her." His words rang with clarity and truth, but I knew better. Edward was good at getting what he wanted.

"And I'm supposed to just believe you? You never once made me think you wanted me. You never did anything." I choked back a sob.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Does this not mean anything? I kissed you, more than once. And you always kissed back. We had fucking sex. Is that me not doing anything to show you how I feel? This was only ever a game to you. I've fought for you. I've tried to get you to notice me. But I'm done now. I give up. You're apparently too oblivious to notice when someone cares about you." With that said, he pushed away from me and stormed off.

So much for not being awkward, right?

I stared after him not quite knowing what to do. I was in shock. Everything that had just happened was a bit of a blur. I was confused, unsure of exactly what he meant. As the shock wore off, the realization sunk in. I was in love with him.

He walked away though. Again. And I had the feeling that this was the last time I would see him walk away.

* * *

**Soo, I'm super excited. I started this story before but it didn't go anywhere. I'm back to edit, relive and finish the story. Reviews are helpful, but the good and the bad as they will help me improve my writing. This story is also a work in progress, so feel free to give me some suggestions.** **The next couple of chapters are being edited and will be uploaded shortly. **

**xoxo,  
**

**Taylor.  
**


	2. I see that you've missed us

"Hey Ali…" I mumbled to the tiny woman sitting next to me.

She sighed, knowing exactly what I was going to ask her. "Yeah Bella?"

"What time was Edward's plane supposed to get in again?"

"Bella, his plane landed twenty minutes ago. He'll be home soon." I could tell she was getting annoyed at my excitement, but I couldn't help it. I hadn't seen my best friend in three months and I was getting impatient. Very impatient.

My parents had divorced when I was eight. I'm honestly surprised it lasted that long. Charlie moved out of Phoenix and right to Seattle, and I stayed with my mother, Renee. By the time I turned ten, I desperately missed my dad. I had always been daddy's little girl, and I begged my mom to let me move in with him. She didn't want me to be unhappy, and my dad readily agreed to have his baby girl come live with him.

It was at that time that I met the Cullens. Esme and Carlisle Cullen had three breathtakingly beautiful children, Emmett, Alice, and Edward. Emmett was two years my senior, but acted as if he was two years younger instead. Even at the young age of twelve he was huge and very intimidating. Of course, that was all on the exterior. I mean, don't get me wrong, Emmett had played football in high school and could kick just about anybody's ass he wanted to, but he really was just a big loveable teddy bear.

Alice Cullen was the same age as I, and unlike her older brother, she was tiny, about the size of a baby doll. Now she stood not a centimeter over five feet and had black spiky hair. She had a great sense of fashion, which is why she owned her own fashion line, large blue eyes and a puppy dog pout that could make even a nun cave into rough sex. She was overly energetic and incredibly demanding. Because of this, I loved her from the moment I met her.

That brings us to Edward. In all honesty, I don't know how to describe him to you. He's Alice's twin, although you would never know that by looking at them. He was tall and lean, muscular, but not like that of Emmett, and had reddish brown hair that screamed "I just got laid!" (Which most of the time was actually the case.) Top that off with expressive, piercing, green eyes, the Cullen charm, and a great sense of humor; you have yourself my best friend in the world, Edward Anthony Cullen.

Edward was to be returning home from Alaska today. He had been there on business with Cullen & Co insurance company. Yeah, as if the Cullens didn't have enough with their good looks, their dad owned an insurance company. He had been gone for three months, and I had been counting the days until his return.

Alice, Emmett, and I were currently waiting in Edward's living. We had planned a small surprise welcome home party for him with just our closest friends. This included the three of us, plus Jasper and Rosalie Hale.

The Hales had moved here during our sophomore year, and Jasper's southern California surfer attitude had immediately captured Alice's heart. They had been together ever since. Jasper had curly blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was most definitely a looker. He was mellow when he needed to be but he could certainly party when the time called for it. I loved him to death, and I pitied any girl who even looked at him. Alice was a little protective.

Rosalie and Emmett were also together, but it took them a while. Emmett was a bit of a player when Rose moved here, and Rosalie wasn't going to settle for that. Not that she had to settle for anyone. Ro was easily the most beautiful girl on the planet. She had long blond hair, legs that went on for miles, deep blue eyes, and a slightly bitchy attitude. She may be a blond bombshell, but she certainly didn't fit the stereotype of ignorance. She didn't take shit from anyone. So, when Emmett finally became a man, Rosalie finally decided to date him.

I heard the door open and looked over to see Jazz and Rose had finally returned with the cake. The house was decorated, the food was done, the cake was here, and now all we had to do was to sit and wait. We had all made excuses as to why we couldn't pick Edward up from the airport and had parked around the block so he wouldn't notice our cars. We really wanted him to be bummed about not seeing any of us and then make his day when he walked in and saw us all sitting on the couch.

"Ooh Rosie let me see that cake!" Emmett whined. He could never resist food.

"Emmett, this is for when Edward gets here." She spoke to Emmett as if he were three instead of twenty six, which is what you have to do sometimes. "You can have some as soon as his royal ass walks through the door, which better be soon."

"But babe, it's taking him forever." This time she just shut him up with a pointed glare.

That was true; we had been sitting in his living room, in the dark for quite some time waiting for him to get here. I was starting to get worried about him.

It was then that we heard a car door slam outside, and we all got completely silent. We saw the door handle spin and were about to yell surprise when something completely stunned us all. It was the sound of a girl's giggle.

Then, as the door opened, not one, but two pair of legs came stumbling through the door, too wrapped up in each other to even notice us. We all sat there; just staring as he pushed her against the door he had slammed to kiss her harder. His hand slid up to cup her breast, and she moaned loudly. We were all too shocked to stop the live porn show that was now taking place in front of us. As she reached for the button of his pants, Emmett decided it was time to intervene.

"Whoa, my baby brother is getting hot door sex" effectively breaking them apart.

Edward flipped Emmett off, while Jasper shook his head at Emmett's comment and turned to give Edward a smirk.

Rose was the first to break the silence. "You know, most people would notice an entourage sitting in their living room."

"Yeah Edward, what if we were serial killers or something" Alice commented.

Edward looked momentarily dazed as he stared at the small gathering we had gotten together to welcome him back. His flavor of the month, which was blond and plastic, shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot just waiting to be introduced. It's no secret to say that Edward was a bit of a lady's man. And I mean why not, he was twenty-four years old and was commonly described as sex on legs. He might as well use it to his advantage. It usually didn't bother me to see Edward with someone, but this girl looked like she was crawling with disease.

"Hey guys, I wasn't expecting to see you today." He mumbled this and then added a nervous chuckle. "And this is Tanya." With that he motioned to the girl next to him.

He then pointed us all out respectively as he said, "Tanya, this is Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Bella, and Rose-"

"Well yeah dickwad, no shit you weren't expecting to see us, we wanted to surprise you. But I guess you ended up surprising us all more. I'll just be leaving." Rosalie wasn't the most tactful person I suppose.

And with that, she got up and left. Rosalie and Edward had a love hate relationship. He thought she was a bitch, and she hated the way he treated women. Even with these differences, the two still loved each other, they just bickered a lot. However, it was very apparent that Rose was disgusted and pissed off that Edward and his Barbie doll had ruined the party.

Tanya, or T-bag as I had decided to call her, had curled herself around Edward's arm and was now looking at him expectantly. I hope it was my imagination, but I swear she tapped her foot three times to get his attention.

"Well, like I said I really wasn't expecting to see you guys and I'm kind of busy at the moment so…" He trailed of quietly at the end, not quite sure how to exactly kick us out of his house.

Everyone then realized the party was not going to happen and began to leave. Alice and Jasper both just walked out quietly, while Emmett gave his brother a disappointed smile.

I could no longer stand my fury at him for bringing a girl home from the airport. We hadn't seen him in two months, and he didn't have time for us. I was beyond pissed.

"Yeah, I'm glad you really missed us Edward. Call me when you have time for your friends." I spat these words at him quite hastily and quickly made my way out the door, not bothering to see if he had anything else to say.

* * *

**so is edward an ass, or did everyone else overreact? **

**let me know what ya think. **

**xoxo**

**Taylor**


	3. Everything is just mighty fine

As I entered my house, I sighed in both happiness for being home, and in my anger for Edward. I still could not believe he had kicked us out. Who the fuck does something like that? As I contemplated different ways to spite my best friend, my cell phone dinged with the announcement of an incoming text message.

I slid right to unlock, and quickly typed in my passcode.

-Hey Bitch, I need a drink, you up for it? *ro

-Sure thing, I'll meet you at Replay in 30. *b

I locked my phone and got up to get ready to leave. I went to the bathroom and double checked my make up in the mirror. After deeming myself presentable, I got into my Corolla, threw on some tunes, and cruised to Replay.

Replay was a club that had opened about three months ago. It was trendy, and got packed on the weekends, but on a Thursday night, I could count on in to be fairly calm and all but free of skanky girls. I had already used my quota of patience for sluts when I had met Tanya earlier.

I made my way to the entrance of the club, greeted my favorite bouncer ever, Seth, with a quick kiss on the cheek, and proceeded inside. I glanced around for Rose, and saw her shimmering hair. She was leaning up against the bar ordering drinks.

She had yet to see me, so I snuck up behind her and pinched her ass.

"Who the fuck do you think you are" She exclaimed as she swirled around, ready to give whoever had touched her a piece of her mind. "Oh, hi Bells, you scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry Rose, but your ass is looking mighty fine in those jeans" I said this in a fake southern twang as my eyes mockingly scanned up and down her body.

"I know you did not seriously just say mighty fine. Although, I suppose you're right, my ass is killer." All of this was said through her smug smile. She knew that there were many men here checking her out, and although she would never admit it, she loved the attention.

"What's wrong with the saying mighty fine? I happen to like it" In reality, I hated the phrase, but I knew she hated that cheesy southern saying more than anyone, so I liked to bust on her by using it as much as possible.

"I can't believe I'm already regretting coming out with you tonight…"

"Hey, you're the one who invited me."

With that, the bartender had set our drinks down on the bar, and we made our way to a booth near the back of the room.

Rosalie took a large swig from her bottle and then looked at me like she was waiting for something.

"What?" I asked thoroughly confused.

"Oh nothing" She mused. "I was just waiting for you to start complaining about Edward and Tanya."

"I don't even have anything to say about that."

She replied with the quirk of her perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"I mean really, what is there to say? He leaves on business, is gone for two months, comes home and can't even make time for his closest friends. He didn't even have an excuse. I mean we threw him a party, and he kicked us out of his apartment so he could fuck some hoe bag. She wasn't even pretty and she was literally crawling with stds. Talk about gross! He is such a dick. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why I am still friends with him. But whatever, I won't call him. He can call me when he decides he has time for his supposed best friend" By the end of my rant I was out of breath and Rose was staring at me with an amused expression.

"You know, that's an awful lot for someone who had nothing to say to spew out" She replied sarcastically.

"Shut up" With that said, I took a huge sip of my beer.

"You were right about one thing though" She said, "He is a complete dick. I mean you know that despite everything, I love Edward to death, but he has the worst taste in women." I nodded, as I agreed with everything she was saying.

"I just don't get why he sleeps around so much. I know he can have any girl he wants, but does he really have to have _every_ girl? I wish I knew why he did it."

That was true. He was my best friend, and we told each other everything, but I had never understood why he did what he did. Maybe he just really liked pussy. Hah.

"I know what you're saying, I don't get it either. Then again, I still don't get why the two of you never even tried dating. Perhaps I'm just dense, but I doubt that."

"Ugh, Rose. We've been over that so many times."

Rose thought Edward and I would be perfect together and Alice didn't exactly disagree with her. Edward and I had always been strictly friends and nothing more. We were incredibly close, and to many outsiders, I guess it did sort of seem like we were together. Since we were so comfortable with each other, just about nothing was awkward between us. Sure, we flirted and joked around, but it was all in good humor. Nonetheless, the friend's boundary had never been crossed and neither of us wanted to cross it.

Rosalie and I each had one more drink before leaving seeing as we both had work early the next morning. Once our beers were gone, we hugged goodbye and left.

I awoke the next morning to the sound of my alarm going off. With a groan, I shut it off and got up to get ready for work. I was particularly unexcited about going to work this morning because that meant I had to see Edward. I had gone to college to get my degree in marketing, and I now had a job at Cullen & Co insurance. As you know, Edward also worked there, but he was employed in the financial department of the company.

After showering, I dried my chestnut hair, leaving it fall in loose waves down my back. I pondered what to wear and finally decided on black dress pants with a pink button down shirt, topped off with black pumps. It was nothing exceptional, but I didn't have a reason to be overly dressed up for work.

I prepared myself a bagel with peanut butter, poured a cup of coffee, and sat down at my breakfast bar to read the paper before I had to leave. After I finished my breakfast, it was 7:15 which meant I had to leave. Sighing, I slipped on my coat, grabbed my car keys, and made my way out the door.

The traffic was nonexistent and I made it to work with 15 minutes to spare. As I stepped into the building, I put my game face on. I was not going to let myself acknowledge Edward today. I stalked towards the elevator, my heels clicking against the linoleum floor as I crossed the lobby. I pushed the button for floor nine and turned just in time to see Edward making his way for the elevator. I deftly pounded the button to close the door before he could get on. Serves him right for being an asshole.

As I walked into my office, I immediately started up my computer so I could check my e-mail. I had an e-mail from every one of my friends, minus Edward, that all said the same thing. They had forgiven him and were going out for drinks tonight to welcome him home. I quickly replied, stating that I would not be going and they should not even try to get me to change my mind. I knew everyone, especially Alice, would be disappointed with my answer, but they knew better than to try and change my mind.

I then emerged myself in my work, designing a new commercial for the company. I was completely engrossed and not paying attention to much else.

At about 5:00, I started packing up my things to go home. I heard a timid knock and looked up to see Edward staring at me.

"Bella-" He started.

I quickly cut him off with a, "Not now Edward." I had been momentarily distracted by the way he was so lazily leaning against the door frame to my office with his tie hung loosely around his slender neck. I may have said that the line of friendship had never been crossed, but that didn't mean I couldn't look.

"But Bella," He attempted again.

"I said not now Edward. You didn't have the time for me yesterday, and quite frankly I can't make time for you right now." As I said this, a flicker of amusement flashed in his emerald eyes.

He proceeded to step inside my office and shut the door. I'm sorry, when did I invite him in?

"I just wanted to personally invite you out with us tonight, seeing as you declined everyone else without a valid excuse. We're going to Angelo's and it just won't be the same without you. But if you really don't wanna go, then fine I give up." He said this a little too cockily; especially when I was still pissed off at him from the night before. I could see in his eyes that he truly believed I would magically go and forgive him because he had invited me. As if.

"Is Tanya going to be there?" He simply nodded. "Well first of all, it won't be the same if I go or not with that hoe bag there. Second of all, you personally inviting me only made me want to stay at home more, and that's quite an accomplishment considering there was no way I was going to show my face there before. And lastly, I have a completely valid excuse for not going, and that would be the fact that you are going to be there. Honestly, looking at you right now is making me feel nauseous and slightly germaphobic seeing as what you were rolling around in the sheets with last night so if you would kindly leave my office, like now, it would be much appreciated." I finished with a sickeningly sweet, devastatingly fake smile spread firmly across my face.

I watched as my words quickly demolished his cocky demeanor and felt slightly elated. The elation quickly plundered downward as he hunched his shoulders and evacuated my office.

I sat there for a few extra minutes, pretending that I was confused as to why I was feeling guilty. Sure, he deserved every single word I had thrown at him for the shit he pulled last night, but he was my best friend and I desperately missed him. He had been gone for two months, and that was the longest we had ever been apart. It seemed as though something had changed in him while he was gone. He had always slept around, but bringing someone home from the airport seemed a bit promiscuous even for him. I could only wish that whatever this change may be would not alter our previously perfect friendship.

I threw my jacket on and started my journey home. As I hopped into my car, I decided that after tonight I would talk to Edward, and while I would expect him to grovel and beg for my apology, I would forgive him eventually. But of course, he would be suffering while he was out tonight, thinking that I was royally pissed off at him, which I was.

As I came to this revelation, my thoughts drifted in a different direction. I was really curious as to why he had brought Tanya home from the airport last night. I also wanted to have a heart to heart with my best buddy and let him know that I was disgusted he was such a selfish man whore.

When I got home, I showered and made myself a grilled cheese for dinner. It was nice to be at home and relax for now. One thing was set in my mind, Edward and I had a lot to discuss and I hoped that we could work this out.

* * *

**Okay guys, i really need some feedback. I haven't gotten any reviews on the first two chapters, and i just need to know if i should even continue updating!**

**xoxo**

**taylor.**


	4. Did that really happen?

I awoke Saturday morning to light streaming in the window. I didn't have anything to do today, so I decided I could lay around in bed for a bit yet. I turned the television on and scanned through the channels until I found a rerun of One Tree Hill. I became engrossed in the drama of Tree Hill High and ended up watching three episodes. I'm a bit obsessive with the show, but I can't help it. The actors are god like. A loud grumble pulled me out of my Nathan Scott induced haze, making me realize that it was probably time to get back to the real world.

I padded across the hardwood floor toward the fridge to see was I could make for breakfast, or I suppose lunch since it was quarter of 12. As I swung the door open, I was instantly disappointed to see the amount of food, or lack thereof, I possessed. I settled on a peanut butter and jelly, deciding I would go to the grocery store once I had finished eating. I quickly ate my lunch, cleaned my dishes, and threw on some jeans. I had decided not to shower since I was just going to the grocery store.

I was strolling down the pasta isle when my cell phone began ringing. I saw that it was Alice and decided I better answer it. I knew she was going to be slightly disappointed I hadn't gone out the night before.

"Hey Ali," I greeted her.

"Well hello there Bella" She responded in a chipper tone.

"What's cookin' good lookin'?" I was quick to ask her what she wanted, knowing that Alice Cullen only ever called if she had a reason.

"Well, see I have this friend who decided to like hide from the Earth Friday night because of my dick brother, and I was wondering if you could help me find her."

Internally, I groaned. Although Edward and I didn't fight often, Alice often felt as though she was caught in between us when we did.

"I'm sorry I didn't go last night Alice." I meant that sincerely, I loved going out with my friends. "I just couldn't be around him right away. He was a jerk Thursday night. I'm kinda surprised you guys all forgave him so quickly."

"Bells of course you're right; he was a jerk, but I really missed him. I get that you're still mad at him, but don't you think you're overreacting a little bit? You just need to talk to him."

"Don't worry Alice, I'm planning on it," I reassured her.

"Okay good, now that that's out of the way, you owe me a night. Well, tonight preferably. It can be a girls' night out, just you, me, and Rose. How does that sound?"

"That actually sounds quite good Ali. Just tell me where and when."

"Meet us at Candid around say, 9?"

"Okay, I'll see you then. Later babe."

"Bye Bella!"

I hung up the phone and finished the rest of my shopping as quickly as possible. I arrived home shortly before three and busied myself around the house. I put my newly acquired groceries away, vacuumed, and washed my sheets. Before I knew it, it was 6:30, and I had to start getting ready.

After showering, I dried my hair and straightened it. I threw on jeans that made it hard to breathe and a black tank top that showed off my cleavage, I wanted to look good tonight, but wanted it to seem effortless. I did my makeup, going for the smoky eye look. I squirted on some perfume, slipped on black pumps, and by 8:45 I was strolling out the door.

Knowing I intended to drink a lot tonight, I decided to take a cab to the club. I made my entrance at nine o'clock sharp. I immediately spotted Alice and Rosalie sitting at a booth near the back. I quickly walked across the floor to greet them. Once I was seated and we all had our drinks, the gossiping began. I was dying for details about the previous night and felt no reason to be subtle about it.

"So how was last night?" I inquired.

"It was interesting; we got to know Tanya a little better." It was Alice who responded.

Rosalie took no time adding to Alice's comment, "Not that we really wanted to."

"Is she really that bad?"

"Oh, Bella you have no idea. She's absolutely dreadful, and she's a total skank. She was hanging all over Edward and flirting with the bartender at the same time." Alice's face was full of complete disgust as she talked about Tanya.

As if on cue with our discussion, none other than Edward and Tanya sauntered into the club. Edward was, as per usual, looking good dressed in faded jeans and a black button down. However, he looked as though he had just bought Tanya off the corner. I wouldn't exactly be surprised if that's where he found her in the first place. She had on a tacky silver dress that looked like it was spray painted on, and a pair of black hooker boots. Her dress was cut so low I could practically see her nipples. Gross.

As Rose and Alice took in her appearance, a look of repulsion appeared on their faces. I'm sure their expression was mirrored on my own.

I knew I wouldn't be able to spend an evening in the hoe's company unless I was thoroughly trashed and I'm sure my girls were feeling the same way, so as the waitress walked pass us, I ordered a round of shots.

I glanced at Edward and Tanya standing by the bar and thought maybe they wouldn't notice us. Of course, luck was not on my side as they turned with their drinks and approached us.

"Hey we weren't expecting to see you here tonight." Edward greeted.

"Yeah this is like totally weird." Tanya's voice literally made me want to puke. Well maybe that was an exaggeration, but it was worse than nails on a chalkboard.

"Hi Edward, hi Tanya." If I hadn't just been informed about her true feelings, I would have believed that Alice actually was happy to see them.

"Hi Edward, Tanya." Rosalie sneered while saying her name. Rose never hesitated to tell anyone how she really felt.

I nodded tersely in recognition. I was still pissed at Edward, and I wasn't even going to pretend to like his new lap dog.

After the uncomfortable hellos, the waitress showed up with our shots. I threw mine back, downed Alice's as well, and ordered another.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Edward and Tanya went to dance.

Turning to face me, Rosalie wasted no time. "Bella, I understand that Edward is being a douche, but don't you think you're over reacting just a little bit? You're acting like he intentionally hurt you which isn't really the case."

I sighed. "I know he didn't do anything to me personally Ro, but he's supposed to be my best friend, and he didn't even care about seeing me when he got home." She shook her head slightly, but luckily let the conversation drop. I had no desire to explain myself.

Alice was babbling about how amazing Jasper had been in bed the night before when someone cleared their throat in front of our table. I looked up to see a man, about average height with spiky blond hair and blue eyes. He wasn't incredible looking, but he wasn't hard on the eyes either.

"Excuse me, but I was wondering if you would like to dance with me?" His voice wavered with his nervousness.

It took me about 30 seconds to realize he was talking to me. I had had around five shots by now and was feeling pretty good, so I decided I might as well.

"Sure, why not."

He grabbed my hand and led me out onto the dance floor. He grabbed my hips, and we began moving to the beat of the music. I looked to my left and spotted my new favorite couple all but having sex.

The next song began, and we were still dancing.

"I'm Mike." He leaned down to speak to me.

"Bella," was all I responded.

We danced for quite a few more songs. At some point Alice and Rosalie had come up to ask me if it was okay if they left. I knew they had been out late the night before and quickly reassured them that I would be fine.

As the songs continued playing, our dancing became much more intense. I was now grinding on his thigh, and things started to get pretty heated up. I'm not usually one for one night stands, but it had been a while, and I do have needs. Plus, Mike didn't seem like much of a creep.

"Do you want to get out of here?" I saw the excitement flash in his eyes.

"That would be fantastic. Just let me go to the bathroom, and then we can leave." I nodded and turned to go gather my things.

While I was getting my purse, Edward approached me.

"Bella, I know you aren't seriously leaving with that guy." I could hear the anger flair in his voice.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I am." My tone portrayed how annoyed I was at him.

"You're drunk. You don't really want to do this. I mean look at him, he's probably the size of a cigarette." I wish he knew he was only adding fuel to the fire every time he opened his mouth.

"Last time I checked, you couldn't tell me what to do, so if you'll please excuse me I have places to be." With that said, I stalked off to where Mike had just walked out of the bathroom.

We hopped into his car.

"Your place or mine," was all he said.

"Mine," I replied without even thinking. I was not going to be stuck at his place.

We arrived at my house shortly after and quickly made our way inside. As soon as the door was shut his mouth claimed mine, and his hands made their way under my shirt. It was a little too fast for my taste, but I was a little too drunk to stop it. As he palmed my breasts, we stumbled onto the couch, me straddling him.

It was a sloppy kiss, but in my inebriated state, I couldn't find it in me to care. I was aroused, and I could feel a slight bulge directly under my core. Without my minds consent, my body ground down. Mike's hands evacuated my boobs and clamped around my hips, pulling me against him again. He began kissing my neck and thrusting up. I started to unbutton his shirt when he suddenly groaned and stilled his moments.

I pulled away to see what was wrong when I felt it, wetness between my legs that I had not caused. I was in complete shock, had he really just come in his pants? My thoughts were confirmed when a look of guilt crossed his face.

"I think you should probably leave." I wasn't trying to be a bitch, but I mean, come on.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Goodnight Bella. I'm sorry." With that said, he got up and left.

I sat on the couch, staring at my hands completely baffled that a grown man just did that. As I got ready for bed, only one thought crossed my mind; I should have listened to Edward.

* * *

**well, i thought it was funny. let me know if you liked it. **

**xoxo**

**taylor.**


	5. Are you on crack?

I spent most of Sunday sleeping off my hang over, and before I knew it, Monday morning had arrived. I had been sitting in my office, pretending to be doing something of importance, for about an hour and a half when I decided I would see if Edward wanted to go to lunch. We had quite a few things to talk about.

As I made my way up stairs to his office, I began thinking about Saturday night. It was out of line for Edward to make a comment about what I was doing, but I was his best friend, and I knew he was only looking out for me. I hoped he wasn't angry with me.

I saw Jess, Edward's secretary, and let her know I was going to stop in his office. It was not out of the ordinary for me to drop into his office without a purpose, so she didn't say anything. I liked Jess. She didn't pry into anyone's business and didn't give me dirty looks for being friends with Edward Cullen.

I knocked, and he swung his door open with his phone lodged between his ear and shoulder. He motioned for me to come in, so I took a seat on his black leather couch and patiently waited for his phone call to be completed.

Once he had hung up, he looked at me with his eyebrows raised, silently asking me what I needed. The emotion written across his face told me he wasn't exactly happy to see me. He had his nose slightly scrunched; causing a crease between his eyes making it very evident he had a headache. I resisted the need to rub his temples to take his pain away like I had done many times before. I momentarily wondered if he would ever need me to cure his headaches again, or if that too had been lost somewhere between here and Alaska.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go to lunch today." My voice expressed that I was nervous, nervous about our inevitable conversation.

"I can't. I have a lunch meeting." His words were rushed, and his tone was harsh. Any confidence I had about approaching him disappeared on the spot.

"Oh okay, maybe another time." I felt as if I were shrinking. His eyes were fixated on my every movement.

I had turned on my heel and was walking out of the door when his voice stopped me.

"Bella," His voice was completely different now. It was softer, like he was unsure of himself. "Would you like to come over tonight? I could cook us dinner, and then we could talk."

"Okay, that would be nice." My response was very generic; I wasn't sure how tonight would go.

"Alright well, I'll see you at seven then?"

"Yep, goodbye Edward." I quickly advanced back to my office.

I wasn't busy, so the rest of the day passed by very slowly. I wanted to emerge myself in work so I could forget about my upcoming evening, but I literally had nothing to do. I was going stir crazy and at four o'clock, I asked Carlisle if I could leave early. He had no problem with that, so I put my laptop in its case and went home.

Since I had plenty of time, I decided to take a shower to relax myself before going to Edward's. Once I was done, I threw on jeans, a white tank top, and a black sweat jacket. I wanted to be comfortable. After applying a minimal amount of makeup, it was time to leave.

The 15 minute drive to Edward's seemed to last about 15 seconds, and much sooner than later I was ringing his doorbell. Normally I would just walk in, but we weren't exactly on the best of terms, and I didn't want to push anything.

He opened the door wearing grey sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt.

"Come on, I just finished dinner." He spoke in a soft tone as he led me to his dining room.

He had made chicken alfredo that smelled divine. Edward was the only Cullen child that had acquired his mother's cooking skills.

We ate in a very uncomfortable silence, both of us dreading the conversation we needed to have. When we were finished, Edward quickly loaded our plates in the dishwasher and we headed to the living room.

I took a seat on his recliner, and he placed himself on his loveseat. We were about as far away from each other as possible.

I had a lot to say to him, but I felt as though this was a conversation he needed to start, so I waited patiently.

"Bella, I don't really know what I can say to you. I could say that I'm sorry, but I can tell by the look on your face that it wouldn't be enough. Also, I don't exactly think I owe you an apology. I didn't have plans with you Thursday night, how was I supposed to know that you were all gonna be here." He was speaking quickly and his words were making me angry. How dare he not think he owed me an apology?

I was gaping at him, and he decided to continue. "Then, after being pissed off at me for no reason you start trash talking Tanya when you don't even know her. As if that wasn't bad enough, your behavior towards her last night was atrocious, and I will not let you treat her like that. She never did anything to deserve that." I couldn't believe the words he was saying to me.

The anger I had for him before seemed to be almost nonexistent compared to the rage I had towards him now.

"I cannot believe what I'm hearing right now Edward. You were gone for three months; my best friend was gone for two months. I was so excited for you to come home. I worked really hard to try and surprise you. I missed you so much, and you ruined my party by bringing some slut home. And by using her to ruin my party, you gave me a reason not to like her. She is a bitch. I can't believe you would stoop that low. I guess her only good qualities must come out in bed because you have to be keeping her around for something. Then again, after working on the corner, your skills must get a little better." I spat my words at him with as much venom as I could muster.

"First of all, if you call her a derogative name again I will make you leave. Also, if you would have had the brains to let me know you were all gonna be here, then I could have planned it." He pinched the bridge of his nose and glared at me. I really regretted showing up tonight.

"Well pardon me if I thought you would be excited to be home with all of us. I promise you I will never make that mistake again." As I uttered these last few words I got up to leave. I did not need to sit here and let him scold me for no reason. I could feel tears forming in my eyes, and there was no way I was going to let him see that.

"Typical Bella, always running from the problem." These words caused me to stop dead in my tracks.

I tried to make myself sound strong, but that was broken down as I choked back the tears. "What the hell happened to you in Alaska? Fuck Edward, do you have any idea what it's like to miss someone like crazy, only to find out that they didn't miss you at all? Obviously you don't."

As soon as I finished, he was towering over me. "You think I didn't miss you?" He asked incredulously.

"Well you didn't exactly give me a reason to think did." I fired back at him.

"You have absolutely no idea what the fuck you're talking about."

"Are you on crack, Edward? You came home and kicked me out of your house. You are choosing to defend Tanya over me. You don't think you owe me an apology for any of this. It's completely obvious you could care less about seeing me."

"Do you ever even think about what you're saying. What happened to me? How about what happened to you? I missed you. I didn't miss this emotional wreck I came back to."

I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. As soon as the first fell, his face crumpled.

Before I had a chance to react, his arms were around me, and he was murmuring in my ear, "Fuck, I'm sorry Bella. I missed you. I missed you so god damn much."

His words made me cry harder, but I couldn't find it in me to push him away. Instead, I clutched him tighter. He continued whispering, "I'm such a dick. God Bella, I'm so sorry. I can't even give you a reason to explain everything. I wish I could, but I just can't."

"Edward," my voice broke as I said his name.

"Shh, it's okay." He gently pulled me over to the couch and sat down with me.

As much as I wanted to stay mad at him, and hell, I had every reason in the world to be mad at him, I couldn't. From the moment he had hugged me, I completely forgave him because we were best friends and that's how it worked. Part of me knew we still had a lot to discuss, but I wasn't going to bring that up now.

He comforted me by running his fingers through my hair, and like many times before, I fell asleep on my best friend.

* * *

**Feedback is always wanted and welcomed. Leave reviews, and the next chapter will be up shortly. **

**Will Bella still be angry in the morning? Is Edward actually being an asshole?**

**xoxo**

**Taylor.**


	6. Pretty snazzy

For the first time in a while, I woke up entangled with my best friend. We were still on the couch, but we had shifted positions. I had my head tucked in the nook between his shoulder and armpit, one arm thrown over his chest, and a leg lying across his waist. This was one of those things that to outsiders made us look like more, but to us was just a normal part of our friendship. We had woken up in positions much more compromising than this before, but nothing had ever been awkward between the two of us. I could tell he was awake by the way he was drawing circles on my arm with his thumb.

"Good morning Edward," I mumbled. It was then that I noticed the clock. I had to be at work, oh, about ten minutes ago. I jumped up shrieking, and turned to look at Edward who was chuckling softly at my realization.

"It's not funny, we're late for work. I can't believe you didn't wake me up, you idiot!" As I ranted, his eyes had grown quite amused.

"Relax Bella, I called Carlisle this morning. We have the day off. I thought maybe you'd like to spend time with me."

"Well thanks for letting me know that before I freaked out." My voice may have sounded sarcastic, but my insides were jumping for joy at the thought of a day off work.

"Well, you didn't exactly give me a chance to tell you." I guess he was kind of right there. "Anyway, all I have planned today is dinner with Tanya. I'm meeting her brother. I thought maybe you would like to go with so you could formally meet her…" He had trailed off at the end. Probably in an attempt to make it seem like he didn't care, but I could tell by the look in his eyes that it was important to him I gave his girlfriend a better chance. I also knew that the word formally implied that I had to be nice. Even though I didn't want to do it, I was aware that this was step one in patching up my friendship with Edward.

I was just about to accept his invitation when a thought struck me, "Edward, where the fuck _is_ Tanya?"

His answering expression was bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I just spent the night here, and I didn't see her once." Understanding flashed across his face at my statement.

He was shaking his head slowly as he began to speak, "Oh Bella, she doesn't live with me."

"Oh. I just assumed when she came home with you, that she was staying here."

"Well, you, my friend, assumed wrong." He tapped my nose with his index finger. "She lives with her brother; I think his name is James. They're very close. That's another reason I'd like you to go with tonight. If I'm meeting someone that important to her, I think she should get to know the most important person in my life. Please go Bella."

"Of course I'll go with you, and you're right." I was grinning at him now, "She does need to meet the most important person in your life."

"I know, but when I found out Jasper couldn't make it, I decided to ask you." His mouth contorted into a cocky smirk, and I punched him in the shoulder.

"You are such a jerk."

He merely rolled his eyes at my statement.

"Go get a shower, and I'll make you breakfast to make up for my jerkiness."

I couldn't find a reason not to accept his gesture, so I got up and made my way to the guest suite. It was still called a guest suite, but it was basically mine, just as the guest suite in my home belonged to Edward. The closet was filled with my clothing, courtesy of Alice, and the bathroom was stocked with all of my favorite shower products.

As the warm water cascaded down my back, I began to think about dinner tonight. I knew for Edward's sake, I should give Tanya another shot, but I really didn't like her. Also, I began to worry that she wouldn't like me spending too much time with her boyfriend. I didn't want her to steal Edward from me. I decided I would disregard any other opinions or thoughts I had about her until the evening was over.

Once I had finished my shower, I quickly dressed in jeans and a black v-neck shirt. I my hair air dry and made my way to the kitchen where Edward was plating our omelets. He sat down the food, and we began eating. Normally Edward and I ate in silence, not really seeing a need to talk around our food, but I was dying to get some information out of him.

"Edward," He looked at me while chewing and nodded, signaling that I should continue. "How did you meet Tanya?"

"I met her while I was in Alaska."

"Well, no shit Sherlock." The evasiveness really bothered me and had me slightly worried. He sighed and then began his story.

"One night I got roped into going out with Jacob. You know how much I don't like him, so I was trying to avoid him when this blond walked right up to me, threw back a shot and introduced herself. I had seen her watching me previously that night, and I was highly attracted to her. After a few dances, we ended up back at my hotel room. She left me her number and called her later that week.

"She kept me interested, and things just sort of developed from there. Tanya is very good at distracting me from things that I shouldn't be thinking about. Then I found out that she wasn't from Alaska, but instead lived here in Seattle. It was quite a shock to me, but not really a bad thing. We kept up our relationship for the rest of my stay, and she prolonged her flight to take the same as me. And you know the rest…"

His explanation did not surprise me; I figured he met her like that. What did have me quite baffled was the fact that he needed a distraction. Edward never once mentioned any problems, and I didn't think he was too stressed with work.

"What was she distracting you from?"

"Oh, you know just work and stuff." He chuckled nervously.

"Oh, okay then." It seemed like he was avoiding something, but I didn't want to bug him about it. I knew he would tell me what was bothering him when he was ready.

The rest of the day passed rather quickly. We spent the day lounging around, watching movies and playing cards. We are both incredibly competitive when it comes to rummy 500.

It seemed as if barely any time had gone by when we had to get ready for dinner. We were going to a small restaurant where you could get just about anything, and we didn't need to get that dressed up. I wore a grey sweater dress with black leggings and black boots. I let my hair fall in loose waves and put on a minimal amount of makeup, like I normally did.

When I met Edward in the living room, I was in slight awe. He had gone with a black on black ensemble. Black pants that fit him to the T, and a black button down with the top three buttons opened. He looked divine.

"Wow Ed, you clean up nice."

He smirked. "Well, Miss Bella, you look pretty snazzy yourself."

I burst out laughing at his use of the word snazzy, and we made our way to the car.

When we arrived at the place of our dining, I immediately recognized Tanya, sitting at a booth, next to one hunk of a man. He had dark, curly hair and defined jaw line. He was one of the most attractive men I had ever seen. Edward began leading me toward our destiny, and I smirked when I saw the unknown eying me.

"Edward, Hi" Tanya's voice was literally worse than nails on a chalkboard. I had a feeling this was going to be a long evening.

"Hey Baby," Edward leaned in and gave her a lingering kiss. It made me want to vomit.

"Edward, Bella, this is my brother James. James, this is my boyfriend, Edward, and his best friend, Bella."

"Hello Edward. And Bella, what an absolute pleasure," As he greeted me, he grabbed my hand a placed a small kiss on it. It was a very forward gesture, but I kind of liked it.

We all sat down and quickly ordered. I was seated next to Edward, directly across from James, Tanya across from Edward. Once our food arrived, the games began.

"So Edward, I hear you work for your father." I was shocked James had said that, it was a very touchy subject with Edward. He had to work hard to get to where he was today and many people believed it was simply because he was the CEO's son.

I was waiting for Edward to reply, but Tanya replied for him. "Well of course he does. Eddie has a great job. It's like totally awesome." Wow, what a brilliant vocabulary. Did she just call him Eddie? What the fuck? No one was allowed to call him that. Except for me, but only when he called me Belly Bean.

Edward's jaw finally unclenched as he took a long sip of his soda.

The rest of the night passed in an okay manner, except for Tanya. I found out that she was working as a model for some small clothing boutique. She was also incredibly dense. She actually asked what vivid meant. Wow, my best friend sure knows how to pick them.

James was, well I think I kind of liked him. With the exception of the comment about the job, he was very polite. Funny too. The only problem I had was that he seemed ill at ease, as if something was on his mind. Then again, I didn't know him that well, so I figured the awkwardness would evaporate when I got to know him better. When we were finished, he had asked me if I would like to go out sometime. I didn't see the harm so I agreed and gave him my number.

On the ride home, Edward broached the subject.

"So you have a thing for James, huh?" His tone was a little harder than normal, and I wasn't sure why.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean he seemed really nice, and he was attractive." I watched his hands clamp down on the steering wheel.

"I don't know if going out with him is a good idea, Bella."

"And why is that, Eddie." He glared at me for mocking his newly acquired nickname.

"I'm serious Bella. I really didn't like him. At all. In fact, I think you should avoid him."

I scoffed at him. "I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself."

"Okay, whatever you say. Just please try and be careful." His words were very clipped. I knew the job comment had upset him, but I hadn't realized it bothered him this much. I was about to bring that comment up when he pulled in front of my house.

"Goodnight Bells, you looked lovely tonight." His compliment caused a rosy red blush to light up my face. After all these years, it still amazed me how easy it was for him to change moods.

"Thank you. Goodnight Edward. I'll see you at work tomorrow." With that, I exited the car and went inside.

As I lay in bed that night, I thought of two things; One, I liked James, but things felt a little off with him, and two, why exactly did Edward hate him so much at just meeting him once. Right before I drifted to sleep, I wondered if Edward hated James for the same reason I hated Tanya. Was there something annoying about James that I didn't see? I thought the slight awkwardness had been because it was new, but was there really something odd about him?

* * *

**Is the friendship all fixed, and how do we feel about Tanya and James?**

**Let me know what you think.**

**xoxo**

**taylor.**


	7. I think you're a little jealous

It was a Thursday evening, three weeks after I had met James, and I was running around my apartment, frantically looking for my other shoe. James had called me yesterday and asked me to go out for drinks tonight.

We had been dating, going out about twice a week and I was starting to really warm up to him. I had learned that he was twenty seven, he worked as an architect, and he had been married once. I didn't know much about his past relationships, but I knew that his ex wife had died. When that conversation came up, he immediately tensed, so I dropped it. Knowing it was a difficult topic for him to discuss, I made the decision to wait until he brought it up to talk about it..

James was a fairly nice, although he said things that were a little odd sometimes. He was constantly texting me and asking me where I was, but it didn't really bother me. I kind of liked to know that he cared.

Alice didn't really like James but she didn't hate him either. She thought he was a bit rude, but she tolerated him nonetheless. Jasper agreed with Alice, and Emmett thought he was stupid. Rosalie had yet to voice her opinion, which was rather strange, but I could tell by the way she carried herself around him that she didn't really care for him too much. Edward, well he hated James. I mean absolutely loathed him. As soon as the name James was even mentioned, Edward's expression turned cold. He thought he was a creep, and that he didn't treat me well enough. He was constantly telling me that he thought there was something wrong with him. Needless to say, I tried to keep them apart as much as possible due to the fact they always fought when they were within three feet of each other.

It sort of bothered me that my friends didn't like him, but I thought that once they got to know James better, they would like him more. After all, that's what happened with me.

I found my other shoe just as the doorbell rang. I was wearing dark skinny jeans, a baby pink silk shirt and white ballet flats. I didn't really feel like dressing up this evening.

"Hey baby, you look sexy. Why don't we just stay in tonight?" I had just opened the door, and I don't think his eyes left my chest once.

"Shut up James," I quipped playfully.

James and I had yet to have sex. We had gotten close, but the timing just never really felt right, and I always ended up stopping it. I mean, he could definitely turn me on; there was just something that felt slightly off every time we got too close to sealing the deal.

We quickly hopped into the car, and before I thought possible I was standing at the bar waiting for my margarita. All of a sudden, I felt something latch onto my back, and my eyes were covered.

"Hey sexy, I just can't seem to get enough of your ass in those jeans," I heard a terribly disguised high-pitched voice in my ear and I immediately started laughing.

"Hey Ali, I didn't know you were here."

"Actually Jazz and I were just leaving. So I'll see you later. Bella, James." With that said and a quick wave from Jasper, they quickly scurried out of the club.

James and I were seated at a booth, on the same side, when he leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss. He was drunk, and it was a little too sloppy. He was quickly thrusting his tongue in and out of my mouth, as he slid his hand up to cup my breast. I was acutely aware that we were in a public place, and I was not okay with this much PDA.

"James" I tried to stop him but he ignored me completely.

"James" I started again, but he still disregarded me.

"James stop!" He finally pulled away from me, but was still pinching my nipple. It was painful, and not in a good way.

"Bella just go with the flow."

His mouth quickly descended on mine, and the hand that was not groping me had me in a vice grip. He was really starting to scare me. I was trying to push him away, but he was not listening to my protests.

"I believe she wants you to stop." I immediately recognized Edward's voice, in a very angry tone, and James immediately pulled away.

"Dude, shut the fuck up and mind your own business. I think you're just a little jealous, but that's just too damn bad. Bella is mine now." James's entire speech was slurred, and Edward looked as if he was going break his own nose with how hard he was pinching it.

"Bella," Edward's tone was clipped, and he was about to continue when there was a huge commotion at the door. We all glanced up to see what was happening when we saw the cops strolling in. I wondered what was going on.

The police scanned the crowded room, when their eyes settled on us, or more importantly James. His face immediately paled. I was beyond confused at this point. They quickly made their way towards us.

"James Denali, you're under arrest for the murder of your wife…" I lost all concentration as the police officer uttered the word murder. He murdered someone. I was dating a murderer? They cuffed James, whom surprisingly didn't even try to deny what they were accusing him of.

As they escorted James out of the club, I burst into confused tears. Immediately, Edward had his arm around me in an attempt to sooth the utter bewilderment I was feeling inside. The tears stopped momentarily, and I glanced at Edward.

"What are you doing here?" I realized it was an odd time to ask this question, but I wasn't exactly thinking clearly.

"I just wanted to have a beer, but I saw that fuckhead harassing you." As he made an implication about James, my mood turned very sullen. Tears welled up in my eyes yet again.

"Bella, I'm really sorry about what happened tonight…"I could tell he didn't really know what to say. He still looked murderously angry at everything James had done.

"It's fine Edward. You didn't do anything wrong. I think I'm just going to head home."

"Okay, bye Bells." He quickly gave me a hug goodbye.

It was as I opened my purse to retrieve my keys, that I remembered James had given me a ride.

"Hey Edward," My voice was quiet and shy, and I wasn't quite sure why. "My ride was sort of arrested for murder, so do you think there is any way you could give me a ride tonight?"

"Of course, actually Bella, Why don't you just stay at my place tonight?"

His offer sounded quite nice, I could use some best friend time right now, so I eagerly accepted.

When we arrived at his house, I showered and met him in the living room. I saw he had showered as well, as drips of water were dripping from his hair and rolling down his chest. He was wearing only a pair of basketball shirts. He looked quite intoxicating at the moment.

When I was done with my ogling, I finally broke the silence. "Well, I'm just gonna go to bed, so goodnight Edward." I turned to walk to the room I declared mine, when his voice stopped me.

"Bella, would you sleep in my room tonight. I'm a little keyed up right now and you relax me. I know it's absolutely terrible that I'm asking you for help right now, but I just don't think I'll be able to sleep knowing that I put you in danger." I hesitated, thinking about Tanya, full well knowing she would be upset if she were to find out I was about to spend the night in her boyfriend's bed.

"Edward, of course I'll sleep in your room. I always sleep better with you too, but what in the world did you do wrong to put me in danger?" I was absolutely astounded that he thought he did something wrong.

"Bella, when I saw him publicly groping you tonight, well quite frankly, I don't think I've ever been that angry. I have never wanted to kill someone as much as I did in that moment." He chuckled darkly at his mention of murder.

"I introduced you to him. I just stood by and watched you go out with him when I had a bad feeling. That's what I did wrong. I didn't protect you, I wasn't a good friend. I mean if I wouldn't have been there tonight and the cops wouldn't have shown up…What if he would have hurt you? Bella, I wouldn't be able to live." He was so pained when he mentioned the possibility of James hurting me. The wavering of his voice and the moisture that suddenly bubbled in his eyes caused me to lose it. I started crying all over again.

Without another word said, Edward walked over, scooped me up and carried me to his bedroom. As we lay in bed, snuggled close to each other, I reveled in the safety I felt in my best friend's presence. It was something I didn't feel with James, and I quickly realized that safety was what was missing from our relationship.

Edward was playing with my hair in a way that calmed me completely; I knew I wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. The evening had been incredibly draining.

"Goodnight Edward," I mumbled as I wormed my way a tad closer to him.

"Goodnight Bella, sleep well," His arms immediately tightened around me slightly as he placed a chaste, friendly kiss on the top of my head.

That was the last thing I remembered before I drifted into a deep slumber.

* * *

**Well that was kind of twisted, right?**

**honestly guys, I'm not getting much feedback for this story, i'm thinking about scrapping it. The next chapter will be up if and when I hit ten reviews. It's already written. I'm not trying to be greedy, but I need something, okay?**

**xoxo**

**taylor.**


	8. Hey you sexy beast

After the night of the James incident, time flew by at lightning speed, and before I knew it, the annual Christmas party at work had arrived.

Nothing much had happened in the past month as everyone was very busy. Alice was busy promoting her winter fashion line, and Rose was busy taking the shots of the models for said fashion line. She was an incredibly talented photographer. Jasper, whom was a high school history teacher, was coping with the stress that is mid-terms, and Emmett was preoccupied with helping scrawny men become buff.

Edward spent nearly all his free time with Tanya. I rarely saw him, and any time I did she was always with him. Every time I was around Tanya, my distaste for her grew larger. There was just something about her besides the fake, annoying, and ugly that I didn't like. I felt the need to pull Edward away from her and I wasn't quite sure why. But much to my dismay, it seemed like Edward really liked her and that possibly this was even the girl for him, so I tried to keep my cool around her. This task proved to be rather challenging.

As for me, I had just finished the newest commercial to advertise Cullen & Co. It was quite the accomplishment. I had forgotten all of my feelings for James and was currently single. Sure, I felt lonely with all of my friends having a million other things to do, but I was kind of weary of getting into another relationship any time soon.

Back to the present, I was currently getting ready for the Christmas Party which I had to attend. Honestly, I hated these things. Being around drunken colleagues was just not my cup of tea, but every year I had to suck it up and go. I was wearing a black button down dress, which I have to say, made me look pretty hot, and black pumps that killed my feet. My hair was straightened and my eyes were dark and smoky. I looked good.

I slipped my coat on and made my way to the hotel where the party was being held at. When I arrived, the party seemed to be in full swing. I spotted Tanya rather quickly. She was currently flirting like no other with Jacob Black. I knew Edward would not be pleased; he hated Jacob.

Speaking of Edward, I saw him standing by the bar, no doubt waiting for drinks, and Oh. My. God. He looked incredible. I mean Edward always looked good, but wow. He had on charcoal grey pants and a navy blue shirt. The way the shirt contrasted with his skin tone made him look good enough to eat. Tanya was a lucky woman tonight. I quickly walked over to greet him.

"Hey, you sexy beast," I whispered in his ear from behind him and immediately started laughing.

He quickly spun around and sighed.

"Bella," was all he murmured. My laughter was cut short as he eyed my body. I felt a blush rise to my face under the scrutiny of his gaze.

"Good evening Bella, Edward. Bella, you look absolutely stunning tonight." It was the voice of Carlisle Cullen that brought me out of my trance.

"Oh, hello Carlisle, and Esme, I absolutely love your dress." I loved Edward's parents, they were practically my own.

"Hi Mom, Dad."

"Bella, I'm assuming you will be at the house this year for Christmas, and don't even try to say no."

"Well, it doesn't really seem like I have much of a choice, but thank you Esme, I would love to be there."

"Excuse me Bella, but Esme and I have to go mingle." Carlisle then dragged Edward away from me.

We spent the rest of the evening just hanging around. Unfortunately, Tanya and Jacob were there as well. Tanya's flirting with Jake was ridiculous, and I didn't think the grimace had left Edward's face once. I on the other hand, didn't really mind. I was thankful that for once, Jake had someone else to distract him. Usually it was me who he was making a poor attempt to charge. However, as the evening grew longer, Jake started flirting with Tanya and still made passes at me. This night just kept getting better and better…Not.

I walked up to the bar to grab a glass of water; I didn't really like drinking too much at these functions. When I returned to table, I was surprised to see that Edward was the only person still at the table.

"Where did everyone else go?"

"Tanya went to the bathroom, and Jacob had to take a phone call."

"Oh, okay." I took a sip of my water to fill the silence. I didn't know how to put Edward in a better mood right now.

It was then that Carlisle approached us for the second time this evening.

"Guys, I don't mean to bother but could one of you please retrieve Mr. Bedalucci's coat? He's not feeling well, and I want to make sure he gets home."

"Of course Carlisle, I'll be right back."

"Thank you so much Bella."He turned to leave, and I got up to go get Mr. Bedalucci's coat.

Edward followed me to the coat room; that showed exactly how bored he was.

When I opened to door to the closet, the sight before us made both Edward and I gasp in shock, disgust, and horror.

There, on the floor of the closet, was Tanya, on her knees, sucking a very erect Jacob. What made it even worse was that as soon as they registered what was happening, Tanya pulled away and Jake released right onto her face. Talk about nasty…

Edward stormed into the coatroom, grabbed, Mr. Bedalucci's coat as well as his own and mine, and turned to leave.

"Edward wait! This isn't that big of a deal." Tanya screamed after him.

"Tanya, you just cheated on me, at a function for my job. This is over. Don't call me. Don't text me. Stay the fuck out of my life." Edward's tone made even me cringe.

"I didn't cheat on you. We never had sex."

I couldn't believe she said that.

"You are so fucking stupid. You have his fucking cum running down your face. That is cheating Tanya."

"Whatever, it's not like you weren't screwing that slut behind my back." As she said this, she was gesturing toward me profusely.

"Tanya I never cheated on you, so shut the hell up. It was bad enough I forgived for you knowing your brother killed his wife and didn't turn him in, but this, this is my last straw. Goodbye." With that said he grabbed my arm, stormed out of the closet, tossed Mr. Bedalucci's jacket at Carlisle, and proceeded to drag me to his car.

He opened the passenger door and all but shoved me into his car.

"Edward, I have my car here." I could see the fury coming off of him in steam, and I knew I needed to be careful so I didn't start a fight with him. At the same time, I was really mad that he knew Tanya had known about James.

"I'll bring you back to get it tomorrow." This was all he said as he sped towards his house.

We arrived and I went to take a shower. When I walked into the living room, he was sitting on his couch with his head in his hands. I took a seat at the other side of the couch, and when he felt the weight shift, he turned to look at me.

"Bella, I am so sorry I pulled you out of there like that." His voice sounded sad, but I could still hear the underlying anger.

"It's okay Edward, really." He just shook his head at me.

"No, it's not, I just needed you here with me tonight, and I couldn't really find the words to say it. I was in a bit of shock."

"Its fine, I understand. Do you want to talk about it?" I didn't want to push him, but I knew he really needed to let off some steam.

"I really liked her Bella, I thought we were gonna be good together. I didn't know why, but she could just make me forget things sometimes. And usually, that was what I needed. Just to forget about everything I didn't want to think about it. But then she goes and cheats on me. Do you know what the most fucked up part of all of this is?"

I just shook my head no, not wanting to interrupt his rant.

"It's that I wasn't even surprised. Like I almost expected it, kind of knew it was gonna happen. Here I am, thinking I really liked this girl, and I wasn't even surprised when she sucked my co worker off in a coat closet. If that's not completely fucked up, then I don't know what is."

He then sighed and I knew his anger dissipated. Edward could always do that. No matter how angry he was, if he just let it all out, he would be fine. But now that the anger was gone, I could see the sadness shining through his eyes.

"Oh Edward, it'll all be okay." I was trying to make him feel better, but I wasn't really sure if it was working.

"Yeah, I know. Come on, let's go to bed."

I followed him to his bedroom and quickly made myself comfortable on his king size bed. I couldn't find the will to tear my eyes away from him as he stripped down to his boxers. I couldn't help it; he was just so damn attractive.

He lay down next to me so that we were facing each other, and circled his hands around my waste. The minute our eyes met, the entire atmosphere changed. It was crackling with energy, not necessarily something new, just like someone changed the light bulb, and everything was much brighter. It was like the chemistry between Edward and I increased a tenfold. I wouldn't dare try to look away from his eyes.

"You looked so beautiful tonight, Isabella." He said all of this in a near whisper.

Slowly, as if to tell me what was happening, he inched his head toward mine. His sparkling eyes were flicking between my eyes and my lips, and I subconsciously licked them. It seemed to take ages but the moment his lips touched mine, my entire body felt on fire.

My eyes slammed shut, my arms wrapped around his neck as my fingers wormed their way into his hair, my toes curled, and I thought my heart could leap out of my chest. His hands slid down to the small of my back and pulled me even closer to him. As his tongue swept over my bottom lip, my mouth immediately opened up.

As our tongues not fought, but danced the most erotic dance, he rolled so he had me pinned to the mattress. I could feel every line of his body pressing into mine, and I had never felt anything better. He sucked my tongue into his mouth, and I couldn't contain my moan. It was that moan that caused him to pull away, both of us still panting into the others mouth.

"Fuck Bella," was all he said, in a throaty voice, as he rolled us back onto our sides. At that moment, I remembered that Edward was my best friend, my best friend that I was currently mad at.

"Edward, what the fuck? I know I'm your best friend but you can't just use me as a rebound. I shouldn't even be here with you right now. You dated a girl like Tanya. She knew all about James and didn't even have the decency to warn me. Then, she tells you she knew and you stayed with her? That's pretty low, even for you, don't you think?" I was venomous.

"I'm sorry Bella. Please don't go. Not tonight." His words were quiet, exhausted. And I couldn't find the courage or will within myself to get up and leave.

That was the last thing that was said that night before we drifted to sleep. Right before I fell unconscious, I wondered what that kiss meant. I knew it was wrong; he was my best friend. However, I also knew that the kiss I had just shared with my best friend was the best I had ever experienced.

* * *

**so the plot thickens...**

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**xoxo.**

**taylor.**


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